


How to handle a crush like a man

by Merlins_little_sister



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur's POV, Attraction, Bathing/Washing, Canon Era, Fluff, Idiots in Love, King Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), M/M, Merthur - Freeform, Mutual Attraction, Mutual Pining, Not a native speaker of English, Nudity, Sharing Clothes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:41:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28344852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merlins_little_sister/pseuds/Merlins_little_sister
Summary: Arthur discovers that he likes it very much to see Merlin wearing his clothes.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 228





	How to handle a crush like a man

**Author's Note:**

  * For [arthurpendragonns](https://archiveofourown.org/users/arthurpendragonns/gifts).



> [Thanks to @ursus-mari for being my beta!](https://ursus-mari.tumblr.com/)  
> -  
> Dear Maria, Happy Holidays! You are a wonderful friend, and I had so much fun being your secret Santa, which is why I wrote you three stories. I just couldn't stop myself. This is one of them. I love you very much!  
> \- 
> 
> To everyone else, I hope you enjoy this Merthur fluff. Consider leaving kudos or a comment, if you do. I love hearing from you. If you wanna find me on tumblr, I am @waiting4thedoctor there.

It all started on a very cold December morning, when the snowfall was heavy, and the wind so biting that Arthur was sure he would turn into a brick of ice very soon, despite the many layers of clothing he was wearing. He already anticipated the hot bath that he would take as soon as they arrived back at the castle. Arthur, Merlin, and the knights were out on patrol, just as they had been for the last couple of days. Only, the last couple of days had not been  _ this  _ cold. 

At some point, Arthur noticed that Merlin was not talking much. He had mocked him for it, at first, but Merlin hadn't mocked back. That in itself was  _ highly _ unusual, and a bit concerning as well.

Arthur would have never admitted it, of course, but he cared for Merlin. He probably cared more for Merlin than he should, but that wasn't important right now. Arthur was angry with himself. A true friend should have noticed that Merlin was freezing. 

He looked at Merlin a bit more closely. His servant was dressed just as usual -- a light tunic, a neckerchief, a thin jacket, pants, and old boots that probably had holes somewhere at the bottom. It was not enough given the current temperatures, not at all. Merlin's face was completely pale, his lips dangerously blue. He was shivering so much that he would probably fall off his horse soon. Why hadn't Arthur noticed this earlier?

"Where's your cloak?" he asked. Arthur had wanted to hide the concern in his voice, but he failed horribly. Merlin did not respond.

"You are freezing. What were you thinking? You can't be out here dressed like this. You'll catch a cold, or worse." 

"Why do you care?" Merlin snapped. He was defensive, Arthur could hear it in Merlin's voice. 

"I can't have you freeze to death, I --"  _ need you,  _ he thought. But he did not say it. "--I’ll give you mine, wait." 

Arthur attempted to take off his cloak, but Merlin stopped him with a harsh "Don't! I'm fine. No need to worry. I won't die just because it's a little cold today."

Arthur did not buy it for a second, but he also did not want to argue in front of his knights. 

When they were back at the castle, Arthur headed straight to Gaius. 

"Why does Merlin not have a cloak?" he asked the old man. 

"He used to have one, sire," Gaius replied. "I remember it, it was light blue. I don't know why he never wears it. Maybe he lost it, or it ripped. And he probably can't afford to buy a new one, cloaks are very expensive." Gaius looked to the ground. He was obviously ashamed to talk about their lack of money with the  _ king.  _

Arthur thanked Gaius quickly, and headed back to his own chambers. 

_ 'It was light blue.'  _ That one day, when Arthur had needed to dress up, so that he could sneak out unnoticed, Merlin had brought him clothes. 

_ 'Whose clothes are these?'  _

_ 'They are mine, I washed them specially.' _

The idiot had given Arthur his only cloak. And Arthur had kept it, he hadn’t even thought about it, not for a second. How could he have known that it was Merlin’s only cloak? 

Merlin would never take it back, that much was clear. 

A bit later, when Merlin entered Arthur's chambers to prepare the bath water, Arthur called Merlin over to his closet. He had devised a plan, one that couldn't go wrong. 

"Here," he gave Merlin a big piece of brown fabric that was neatly folded to a square, "I want you to have this."

"What is it?" 

"Open it," Arthur said. "And don't you dare say no, it's an order. I want you to have it. And actually  _ wear _ it."

Merlin unfolded the square and gaped at the sight of the cloak. 

"But Arthur, you can't..."

"It's nothing." He waved it off. "Don't think about it. I have plenty, I don't need it."

"Thank you, Arthur," Merlin said very sincerely. "I really appreciate it!" 

That's how it started, because -- good lord -- Merlin wore the cloak. He wore it all the time, and it looked so good, Arthur thought he might lose his mind. Whenever Merlin was wearing the cloak, the only thing Arthur could think was ' _he is wearing my clothes, he is wearing my clothes.'_ It was an old cloak, so the material was not as soft as it once had been, but the cloak itself was still in very good condition, probably because of the expensive material. And Merlin looked so good in it. The fit was ridiculously perfect, as if it had been tailored for Merlin, and not for himself. 

That's how he found himself in front of his servant's room, a purple tunic clutched to his chest, mentally rehearsing for the hundredth time what he was going to say. 

"I think this would suit you. It's one of mine, but it doesn't fit me anymore. So I wanted you to have it. It will look good on you."

Damn. That was not what he had planned to say. 

"What makes you think that it will suit me," Merlin asked him. 

"The color," Arthur replied. 

"Let's see," Merlin said and before Arthur knew what he was doing, Merlin had pulled the white tunic that he was wearing over his head. And there he was, bare chested in the middle of the room. Arthur really tried not to stare, he really did. But he failed horribly. When had Merlin gotten so fit? Where did all the muscles come from? 

Arthur was  _ very _ sure that Merlin hadn't always been this muscular. Back when they had first met, when Merlin had become his servant, Merlin had been a thin and lanky boy. Now, Arthur noticed, Merlin was very much a man. The years that he had worked for him showed on his body. Servant work was hard work and the fact that Merlin wasn't a servant like any other didn't mean that he wasn't doing his work properly. Granted, Merlin wasn't always the most polite servant, but he always did his duties, eventually anyways. 

Once, Arthur had asked Merlin why he was so much more efficient, and polite when he served other nobles. He remembered Merlin's answer to this day. 

'Because  _ you don't need yet another bootlicker, Arthur.' _

And he was right. Of course, he was. 

Arthur watched as Merlin carefully pulled the purple tunic over his head. If he noticed Arthur's staring, he didn't show it. 

"So? How do I look?" he announced when he was done. Merlin gave a little twirl and grinned from ear to ear. 

"Just as ridiculous as you always look," Arthur said. Merlin looked beautiful. But he couldn't  _ actually  _ say that, could he? 

Merlin's smile broke a little, barely enough for Arthur to notice, and he adjusted the material over his chest. 

"It's so soft. And the fit is fantastic. Thank you, Arthur. I like it."

Merlin looked up at this and his eyes quickly found Arthur's. 

"I was right," Arthur blurted. He couldn't stop himself. "The color suits you perfectly. It highlights your cheekbones."

Merlin blushed a little, but didn't say anything. He was mockingly silent. 

"You don't look ridiculous, I'm sorry for saying that." Merlin's smile increased again. "I’ll see you tomorrow," Arthur said and left the room, before he could embarrass himself even further. 

\--

They were out on patrol again the next morning, and yet again it was  _ freezing _ . Merlin was wearing the cloak, and didn't look like he was cold, which was a relief. A part of Arthur wondered if he was also wearing the purple tunic, and he made a mental note to pay attention to it, as soon as they got off their horses. The knights were riding behind them, as usual, and left them to their bickering. 

If Arthur hadn't been so busy with Merlin, he might have noticed how the knights raised their eyebrows at each other.

Merlin was in a very good mood today. He chatted, and mocked even more than usual. Arthur could have sworn that he was flirting with him, but maybe that was just wishful thinking. He desperately wanted to know, though, but he couldn't actually ask one of the knights if they noticed the flirting as well. It was the way Merlin looked at him, how his gaze seemed to linger longer than strictly necessary. It was the way Merlin smirked at him, how his eyes blinked when he spoke, how his lips curled when he called Arthur  _ clotpole _ . 

And then again, nothing of this was any different from usual. So maybe it wasn't Merlin who was flirting with him, maybe it was Arthur's perspective that had changed. Maybe it was Arthur, who finally allowed himself to notice it. 

The feelings had been there before, of course, but seeing Merlin in his clothes had unlocked something in Arthur, a desire that burned in him with a force that was maddening and hard to ignore. Well, strictly speaking, they weren't his clothes now anymore, but they had been. And they somehow seemed to look so much better on Merlin. 

Arthur was so used to ignoring his feelings, but now it wasn't quite possible anymore. He got nervous around Merlin more often, the funny feeling in his stomach was there whenever Merlin was present, his head was lighter, and it was very hard not to blurt out stuff like  _ 'You look good today.' or 'I really want to kiss you right now.'  _ So far Arthur had contained himself, though. He didn't plan to behave like a lovestruck girl. Arthur Pendragon could handle a crush like a man. 

"When we get back to the castle, I want to take a bath," he advised Merlin. Maybe the hot water would help him to calm down a little. Merlin nodded, signalling to Arthur that he had understood. "Don't bother with the horses today. I will tell someone else to take care of them. I want you to go up and prepare everything as soon as we are back." Merlin raised an eyebrow, probably wondering about the urgency of the requests, but for once he had the decency not to say anything. 

"All right," Merlin finally answered. His lips were twitching, as if he was trying to suppress a smile. 

Back in the castle, Merlin hurried up to Arthur's chambers to prepare the bath water. Arthur followed not long after, and found that the bathtub was already steaming with hot water. He could have sworn that it hadn't taken him this long to finish up, and talk to the knights. Momentarily, Arthur was stunned about Merlin's sudden effectiveness.

"How on earth did you do that?" he called out. 

Merlin, who bent over the bathtub to grate some soap into the steaming water, looked up, and simply shrugged his shoulders. "I keep telling you that I have many talents." Merlin was indeed wearing the purple tunic under his jacket, Arthur noticed. 

"Who would have thought that you were right about that?" he said and stepped behind the folding screen to undress. Briefly, he wondered why he even bothered to undress there. After all, Merlin was about to assist him with his bath, so he would see him naked anyway. Besides, Arthur felt very comfortable around Merlin. It was probably just a habit to undress there, behind the screen. As a king, he was supposed to behave a certain way, and he couldn't always shake these behavioral rules off, no matter how much he wanted to. However, he thought, as a king he should also have certain rights. He should be able to do as he damn well pleases,  _ especially  _ in his personal chambers.

So, Arthur decided that he couldn't be bothered by stupid behavioral rules today and thus didn't cover his private parts with a towel, when he stepped out from behind the folding screen like nature had intended -- naked. 

Given the warmth of the room, Merlin had taken off his jacket and his neckerchief by then, and was now only wearing his tunic over his pants. The beautiful purple tunic that just didn't work on Arthur, but worked so well for him. Merlin had rolled up the sleeves, so that he could work freely, without wetting his tunic. His lower arms were exposed, and the tunic lay tight around Merlin's muscles. It was a rather spectacular view, and it hit Arthur completely unprepared. He could feel the blood in his body rushing south, and quickly got into the bathtub, where the soapy water would hopefully cover his growing erection. 

Meanwhile, Merlin pretended that he hadn't watched the very naked Arthur stepping out from behind the screen, but Arthur was pretty sure that he had seen  _ everything  _ and was very pleased by this. Now, Merlin busied himself with duties around the room. 

"Merlin, can you --" Arthur started, but wasn't sure if he could bring himself to actually ask the question. 

"What do you need?" Merlin asked, stepping closer to the bathtub. 

"You don't have to, of course--" He paused again. "But would you wash my back?" 

Merlin’s eyes widened, and he nodded. Arthur could see him swallowing hard, and how his eyes flickered to Arthur's mouth, just for a moment. 

"Of course," Merlin answered. His voice was lower than normal. "Let me fetch a washcloth." Merlin rummaged around in the closet nearby and quickly came back with the desired object. Then he carefully crouched down next to the bathtub. He was now to Arthur's left side, so that he could wash Arthur's back with his right hand. 

Arthur leaned forward, just a little, so that Merlin could reach his back. Then he felt the slow and steady rubbing of the washcloth against his skin. From time to time Merlin's fingers brushed against his bare skin. 

"Do you like that?" Merlin asked. He was close, so close that Arthur could feel Merlin's breath against his skin and could smell Merlin's scent. Merlin smelled like sweat, herbs, and something else. 

Arthur moaned a little in response, which seemed to be enough. Every single one of Merlin's touches sent shivers down his body. The hot water was white from the soap and did a pretty good job of hiding just how much he liked it. When Merlin's hand was at his neck again, he leaned back against the bathtub. Merlin switched the washcloth to his left hand and started washing Arthur’s chest. 

The purple tunic was damp, if from the heat of the bath water or Merlin's sweat, Arthur couldn't tell. Presumably a mixture of both. Their faces were only inches apart, if he leaned in now, their lips could touch. 

"You have to tell me when you want me to stop," Merlin said, while he worked his way down Arthur's body with the cloth. 

"Don't stop," Arthur said. He didn't look away this time. He didn't try to hide his desire, and neither did Merlin. Their eyes were locked, and Arthur could tell that Merlin wanted this as much as he did. 

Merlin's hand and the washcloth were only inches away from Arthur's penis. Arthur was completely hard at this point, and there was no way Merlin wouldn't notice if he continued. And then he did. His hand brushed against the length of his cock, and Arthur could see how Merlin's eyes widened a little, before he dropped the washcloth entirely. At this point, there was no need for pretending anymore, so Merlin just continued touching Arthur with his bare hand. Arthur moaned again under Merlin’s touch, louder this time. 

"You are such a tease, Merlin," Arthur groaned. 

"I've been wanting to touch you like this for so long, you have no idea," Merlin said. 

"How long?" Arthur asked. 

"When I first met you and you said you could take me apart with one blow. God, Arthur. You have no idea what that did to me."

"You said you could take me apart with less than that," Arthur remembered and Merlin nodded. Merlin’s face was so close. His scent was so strong, and Arthur was so close to losing his mind. So Arthur took Merlin's face in his hands, not caring that Merlin would be completely wet from the water later, and pulled him in for a hard kiss. 

"Please do." 

  
  



End file.
